Private equity group Epi-V has taken on Talisman Sinopec Energy UK CEO Geoff Holmes to lead its FourPhase portfolio company CEO as it looks to grow its global portfolio. it has also taken on Expro director Tony Kitchener, as Chairman…
Russia’s Gazprom announced plans to build a new LNG plant on the Baltic Sea on Thursday (22 January). The project, called Baltic LNG, will be built at Ust-Luga, in the Leningrad region, near the Gulf of Finland. It will be capable of producing 10 MPTA of LNG…
The Binh Minh 2 vessel completed a 3146km 2D seismic acquisition program in the Santos-operated SS-11 block, offshore Bangladesh. Block SS-11 covers an area of 4475sq km in the Bay of Bengal over the Bengal Fan. The majority of the block lies in shallow waters of up to 200m…
Damen Maaskant Shipyards, part of Damen Shipyards Group, has delivered two dedicated offshore winches to survey and geotechnical services firm Fugro. The Dutch shipyard was responsible for the design, engineering and manufacturing of…
The Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) responded to an Energy XXI, GOM-operated platform that was damaged by a fire in South Timbalier (ST) Block 27 in the Gulf of Mexico. The unmanned ST 27 IA platform…
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has reinforced the government’s support for the North Sea oil and gas industry at a meeting with industry representatives, hosted jointly with Treasury ministers Danny Alexander and Priti Patel. Chief Secretary…
Statoil has continued a contract award spree on its giant Norwegian North Sea Johan Sverdrup project, awarding Aker Solutions a US$590 million detailed engineering contract. Johan Sverdrup, which sits in on the Utsira High, 140km west of Stavanger…
Total has started gas and condensate production from the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) West Franklin Phase 2 project in the Central Graben area of the UK North Sea. The project, tapping 85 MMboe, will supply 40,000 boe/d to the…
Italy's Edison is to acquire Apache Beryl I's assets in license P185 Block 15/22 in the UK Central North Sea, including non-operated stakes in the Scott (10.5%) and Telford (15.7%) fields. This deal, which is subject to customary closing conditions…
High costs and weaker oil prices could drive cost cuts, which, while leading to a short-term drop in activity, would strengthen Norway's petroleum industry over the long-term, according to the Norwegian Petroleum Directorate (NPD). The…
Seismic acquisition began on the new Polarcus Capreolus 3D multi-client project over the Phoenix area in the Rosebuck basin, offshore Western Australia. The area contains the recent Apache-operated Phoenix South-1 oil discovery…
Nigeria-based Seplat Petroleum Development confirmed Afren’s “highly preliminary approach” regarding a possible merger of the two companies made on 22 December. Image from Afren. In a statement released by Seplat…
The world's oil and gas exploration companies are expected to cut capital expenditures 17% this year as a deep slump in crude oil prices takes a toll on budgets, according to a survey by Cowen and Company, released Wednesday. The survey…
Five companies have been awarded licenses covering 10 exploration blocks in the Adriatic Sea in Croatia's first licensing round. The round had offered 29 blocks in the eastern Adriatic Sea covering a total of 36,822sq km. Bids were received from six companies for 15 exploration areas…
In a year during which the oil price remained stable at circa US$100 per barrel until the last quarter when a significant collapse in commodity price began, activity levels in both the UK and Norwegian sectors have continued to show a distinct divergence…